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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 20th, 2023–Apr 21st, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos, Kootenay Boundary, Clearwater, Quesnel, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Avalanche danger will be closely linked to daytime warming and solar effect. Observe local conditions and use that information to help select terrain and travel techniques. Match terrain to conditions!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported; however, few people or organizations are still reporting regularly.

Snowpack Summary

Generally, spring is advancing and the winter snowpack is melting away, at least at lower elevations.

Dry, powder snow may remains at higher elevations on north-facing terrain, along with the potential for fresh wind and storm slabs. While melt-freeze crusts or moist snow are likely to be found on steep solar slopes and at lower elevations.

Avalanche danger will be closely coupled to daytime warming and melting. The more the crust weakens, and the deeper the wetness goes, the greater the hazard from wet loose avalanches.

The mid- and lower-snowpack is generally well-settled. In some areas, the lower snowpack may have a layer of weak facets near the ground.

Weather Summary

Thursday Overnight

Cloudy with clear periods and flurries; 2 to 5 cm of precipitation. Light, with moderate gusts, southwest winds. Treeline temperatures around -5 C. Freezing level around 800m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud with between a trace to a few cm of precipitation, in favoured upslope locations near treeline. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures around -3 C. Freezing level around 1900 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Just a trace of new snow with a few locations getting as much as 5 cm. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperatures between -5 C to near zero. Freezing level around 1900 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with flurries and around 2 to 5 cm of snow. Light to moderate southerly winds. Treeline temperatures around zero and freezing level around 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.